


tangled up

by noctizanagi



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Fluff, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, bless these boys and these girls and aaa, this is actually adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 00:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13019223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noctizanagi/pseuds/noctizanagi
Summary: "His brown eyes glimmered with held tears. It had only been two weeks since they saw him off to his house, but loneliness and anger almost always found a way to twist themselves into his heart. He had plenty of company with the others, but his best friend wasn’t someone who could be replaced (and that hole in his heart couldn’t be filled with anything but the retro games he had gotten as a present, filling his room with nostalgic memories -). The ramen shop downtown only unleashed more of what he was trying to let go of, the classic bowl wafting scents of the leader who had always brought him there up into his brain."[without akira, things aren't right around town anymore.]





	tangled up

**Author's Note:**

> [i'm mass-posting things off of my google docs please send help]

It was a cloudy evening, in which the boy sitting on the rooftop couldn’t tell whether or not those were stars he saw, or airplanes making the midnight rounds. Either way he knew that his best friend, however many miles away he was in Inaba, would be making paper cranes and flying them out his window into the sea of darkness - a ritual they had both sworn to practice. The boy on the roof was assigned the dawn, and the boy at the window assigned the dusk.

 

His brown eyes glimmered with held tears. It had only been two weeks since they saw him off to his house, but loneliness and anger almost always found a way to twist themselves into his heart. He had plenty of company with the others, but his best friend wasn’t someone who could be replaced (and that hole in his heart couldn’t be filled with anything but the retro games he had gotten as a present, filling his room with nostalgic memories -). The ramen shop downtown only unleashed more of what he was trying to let go of, the classic bowl wafting scents of the leader who had always brought him there up into his brain. 

 

He considered slipping on headphones to drown out the noise of the busy street below him, but the earbuds waved all too peacefully in the breeze and his heart beat too loudly to hear anyway. 

 

-

 

It was a bright dawn, the sun peeking out over the horizon and reflecting off shimmering pieces of paper that were folded into small cranes. Their time had not yet come, but the boy at the window played with one anyway, knowing that somewhere in Tokyo his other half was sailing skull-patterned cranes into the abyss below a quiet rooftop. He imagined the bustle of the sidewalks, the scent of coffee, everything, and sighed with deep sorrow running under his skin.

 

His grey eyes were void of most emotion, pale face expressionless as he turned back into the empty home. His parents weren’t home, they were never home anymore, and he was left alone - alone alone alone. As a teen, his parents had abandoned him, only sending checks for him to pay for what amounted to a day of food. Getting a job wasn’t a problem, but Inaba in general was a lonely place, and every job he picked up reminded him of his actual friends, his actual family. Never mind that, if he had to hear that damn Junes theme song one more time he was going to become Inaba’s new murder case.

 

He considered slipping out of the house and walking to the Samegawa riverbank, but the ringing of the phone brought his attention from the outside world to the cluttered living room.

 

-

 

It was a sunny morning at the coffee shop, a troubled owner at the counter as he worried over his metaphorical sun. He didn’t want him to go back home, knowing from the probation journal that even this hellhole was better than the boy’s home life. His paper cranes still lingered around Leblanc, some skull-patterned, some flowery, and some that were simple colors and hung from the ceiling. Whenever a customer made a comment about them the old man couldn’t help but swell with pride - yeah, that was his boy making them. It brought up thoughts like, ‘did his parents ever take care of him like this?’

 

His deep frown lightened as he flipped the sign to close, a memory of the boy’s sass coming to the forefront of his mind. His fingers found the numbers themselves, eyes tracking the piece of paper left when they left to drop his boy off. Memories of the apprehension he had shown towards the so-called delinquent dug up regret - maybe if he had been more welcoming, he would’ve been able to take the boy under his wing permanently. But as he made the call, he knew things would soon be back to the way they were right before he was gone.

 

He considered waiting until it got darker to call in case the boy on the other end was asleep, but he pressed the button anyway as he remembered all those curry-filled mornings they shared.

 

-

 

It was a dreary afternoon, five restless teens sitting around a table with their hands in their laps and leg crossed in anticipation. One - Ann - stood up as the  _ resident bicycle  _ \- Ryuji - jogged towards the food court with a wide grin splitting his face. Two - Makoto and Haru - clutched each others’s hands ever tighter as they conversed, watching with bated breath. And yet two more - Yusuke and Futaba - leaned forwards to catch every bit of information their pale ears could. 

 

‘Ann, guess what! Sojiro’s gonna adopt Akira! His parents have officially given him up, and he’s coming back! Ann he’s coming back!’ His excited voice echoed over the entire group, and they all showed happiness in their own way. Ryuji still seemed the happiest through, tears spilling over his grin - identical to the rest of the former Phantoms.

 

Futaba gasped, her eyes shimmering as she clung to Yusuke. ‘ _ Bici,  _ that’s amazing! How did he manage to convince them?’ The air around the blond boy seemed to dampen a little, his expression falling. After stuttering out a few incoherent mumbles, he answered. 

 

‘The Inaba police station has arrested them under charges of child neglect. They left Akira alone for months at a time without sending enough money for him to care for himself. It was either giving him up to Sojiro or having him placed in foster care.’

 

-

 

It was a clear, sparkling evening when Sojiro pulled up to Leblanc in the beige car Futaba was acquainted with, a familiar face in the passenger’s seat with familiar eyes full of sass and gleam - Ryuji could tell right away that Akira had been teasing about the ‘no men in the passenger seat’ thing Boss had said when he started probation. Morgana was there too, blue eyes watching the two exchange banter as he licked a paw calmly. It was evident he had calmed down while away with Akira.

 

They were still talking as Sojiro unlocked the door - and when it opened, Akira finally shut up as he gazed inside. ‘Go on, kid,’ Boss encouraged, nudging him forward with a firm hand. He stumbled inside, a watery smile taking over his normal expression as he embraced Ryuji. The rest of the Phantoms gave them some time before joining in, the entire group simply sinking to the ground as they cried out of relief, out of joy. It wasn’t normal for some of them, but the ones who remained somewhat composed still had goofy grins on their face.

 

‘Bro, I am so effin’ glad you’re back. Never pull that shit again, ya hear?’ Ryuji laughed, grip on Akira tighter than a snake wrapped around its prey. 

 

-

 

When Sojiro showed Akira the untouched attic, the younger almost cried again - instead opting to faceplant right into his new ‘dad’’s chest. ‘We’re gonna have this be your place, but for night, if you want… you can come with me and Futaba.’

  
The invitation was accepted, and the next few days were filled with overwhelming disbelief -  _ was this all real? _

**Author's Note:**

> a) this is one of my favorite ships honestly and i feel like this would happen at some point in canon considering how many headcanons there are for akira's parents  
> b) my google docs is full of oneshots that i never published to here so im posting them while tired and impulsive  
> c) constructive criticism appreciated yes


End file.
